The Dragon Restaurant

70 Essa Rd., Barrie

44.37196,44.37196

About The Dragon Restaurant:

The Dragon Restaurant is a place where the people living in Barrie can get Chinese and other Asian-inspired dishes. It is located on 70 Essa Road in downtown Barrie, a couple of blocks away from Lake Simcoe shore.

The Dragon Restaurant offers an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet, and most days there is a selection from about 20-25 dishes which you can combine per your liking. There is also the main menu, special suggestions menu, family dinner menu, and combination dinner menu.

This place has been serving Cantonese-inspired dishes for a while now and has had a love/hate relationship with the people in Barrie. It is opened from 11 AM to 10 PM on Sundays thru Thursdays, and from 11 AM to 11 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

TripAdvisor, Google Reviews and Facebook are a good source of honest reviews from people that have dined at The Dragon Restaurant, and here I’ve summarised a list of the pros and cons I found online:

Pros:

Large selection of dishes

Classic “Chinese” décor

Excellent prices

Takeout and deliveries

Excellent service

Cons:

Some complaints about the freshness of the buffet

The Dragon Restaurant has been serving Chinese food in Barrie since 1985, and in the last 34 years, it has created a faithful fan base. They take reservations, welcome walk-ins, cater to large groups, have special kid’s menus, do catering, prepare takeout and do deliveries, so pretty much everything you may expect from a Chinese restaurant. Take out, and free delivery (over $20) within Barrie are available.

The interior is simple and inviting. Big round tables, tables for two or four people, booths and the inevitable Chinese decorations adorn the place, giving it more of an eatery vibe than a fancy restaurant. There is a large buffet bar that displays the ready dishes which the customers get to combine.

While you can enjoy the buffet-style lunch or dinner, there are excellent food options from their full menu. Since the buffet foods need to be prepared beforehand, some people have made notes about the freshness of the dishes. Once you order a dish from the menu, it gets prepared and served immediately, and the freshness of the ingredients and the chef’s inventiveness comes to shine. The same goes for the takeout/delivery dishes, which get prepared immediately and you get to enjoy an excellent Chinese meal at a place of your convenience.

There is a Dragon Special coupon with selections that change occasionally. The coupon allows for 10% off your order and includes a nice meal for four people. The restaurant is near different business which makes it quite popular as a takeout food place. Still, the reviews are varied and revolve around 3.5-out-of-5 stars.